Newborn Constipation

Crying baby Newborn constipation can be bothersome to both baby and parents. Often when babies are unable to pass a bowel movement, they become very irritable, sleep less and eat less.

How do you know if you have a constipated baby ?

1. Are they bearing down like they need to pass a stool?

2. Has it been longer than 72 hours since their last stool?

3. Are they passing gas but no stool when they do bear down, or maybe just some small pellets like stool?

If you answered yes to all of the aboveClick Here , then baby may indeed be in need of passing a stool.

NO intervention is necessary if baby is not fussy, unless the baby has a hard tummy or is no longer passing gas. Some newborns can go beyond 3 days with no bowel movement and this can be normal for that child. Generally speaking if the child is feeding normally, sleeping well and has no signs of illness there is no need to intervene in this area. However, if your child has a hard tummy , is not passing gas, is not feeding or is vomiting with feeds then a visit to your PCP or ER is needed ASAP.

If you have decided you child is experiencing newborn constipation, then there are a few infant constipation remedies you can do from home to try to urge a stooling.

1. Offer a warm bath (as long as your baby no longer has the umbilical cord stump, if stump is still intact, submersion in water is not allowed)
2. After a 10/15 minutes bath- give your baby a nice tummy massage. Here is a video to show you how:

3. Do some bicycles with your babies legs and pull there knees to their chest like a squatting position and hold there while they are bearing down to poop.
4. Breastfeed often. The water in your breastmilk will help to soften the stool. (Make sure your newborn is eating 8-12 times per day)
5. If supplementing or formula feeding, talk to your doctor about switching to a soy or lactose free formula if your baby continues to battle being constipated. Milk based formulas often cause this problem due to the lactose.

If the above interventions do not work, then contact your Primary Care doctor for further help. Some will recommend offering juice, some glycerin supporsitories, some liquid glycerin by mouth. It all depends on your doctors recommendation.

Want to read more about newborn constipation and some ideas on how to resolve it? Here is an ebook I found that you might be interested in:Click Here!

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